


Kintsugi

by Giada Luna (GiadaLuna)



Series: SasuHinata Revolution Week 2018 [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Romance, Slow Burn, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-26
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 19:31:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15056192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GiadaLuna/pseuds/Giada%20Luna
Summary: Some things are more beautiful broken than whole. Series of SasuHina Revolution Week 2018 prompts: Words. *Kalon * Haecceity *Irusu *Hanahaki *Jijivisha (जिजीविषा)*Wasuremono*Philocalist*Duyên*Kef*





	1. Kalon

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**

_**Kintsugi**_  (金継ぎ, きんつぎ, "golden joinery"), also known as  _ **Kintsukuroi**_  (金繕い, きんつくろい, "golden repair"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, a method similar to the  _maki-e_  technique. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.

.  
.

**1\. Kalon  
** _A beauty that is more than skin deep - beautiful, as an outward sign of inward good, noble, honorable character._

* * *

Beauty is the worst kind of lie.

Uchiha Sasuke is no stranger to beauty.

He was born beautiful into a clan of beautiful people, and that beauty hid treachery and deceit and betrayal and hearts so twisted by revenge that they ached with pain while they bled murder.

Beauty is not to be trusted.

So, when he first sees the girl with the alabaster skin and the eyes like moonlight, he is immediately distrustful.

She is everything that is kind and graceful and lithe and winsome, and he hates her for it.

He keeps waiting for the crack in the façade – for the lie to slice through in a smile too sharp, or a touch too lingering, or a glance too shrewd.

And when it doesn't come, he hates her more.

He hates the midnight of her hair, and the gentleness in her smile. He hates the fullness of her silence, and how it never feels as empty and hollow as the words of others.

He hates the first time her hands – lovely with long-tapered fingers, and yet deadly in their own right – brush against his sleeve inconsequentially, and she leaves as if she hasn't just set his nerve endings aflame.

He hates when he finds her alone in the early morning mist, weeping when no one can hear over a grave that should not be.

Bitterly, he realizes there is even beauty in her sorrow, and he curses her ability to be both broken and kind.

He hates her so terribly it frightens him – for he is apathetic to so many things.

He tells himself it is because he hates deception and lies in all forms – and Hyūga Hinata has spun the worst lie of them all by being more beautiful than any creature has the right to be.

* * *

_Not a long one, friends. Daily updates! -  GL_


	2. Haecceity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is something very "Sasuke" about Sasuke.

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi  
****.**  
.  
.  
**2\. Haecceity**  
 _The essence of a particular thing that gives it its unique particularity: the "this-ness" of a thing - its individuality, specificity, the essence of what make it what it is._

* * *

There is something very "Sasuke" about Sasuke.

Hinata smiles at the simplicity of that thought, and laughs at herself; something so inarticulate would undoubtedly annoy Sasuke. If Naruto had said such a thing, he'd react, but with her? He'd probably resort to side-eyed disdain, and no comment.

Not that they interact directly very often; he has made it clear that he does not care for her company.

And yet she can sense the ache of loneliness in him, so while she does not seek him out, she can't quite bring herself to avoid him altogether.

She is highly observant, and gradually she learns things about him; not particulars, really – just hints of things she finds she knows.

He prefers not to talk (and she is grateful, because she hates being the main conversationalist) but still finds things to say when he has the need to say them.

He does not care for sweet things.

He loves tomatoes.

He probably has no idea how much he smiles around Naruto and Sakura.

He is patient when no one expects him to be, and he is unerringly kind to children. (not in a 'get-down-on-their-level-and-talk sort of way, but in a 'I-will-quietly-reassure-you-in-such-a-way-that-literally-no-one-would-notice-ever' sort of way.)

He is subtle.

Except when he decides not to be.

He clearly does not like her, but he tries to be polite for their friends' sake.

"That's just Sasuke," Ino leans over and whispers when they are all gathered for a meal and he has not spoken to her even once. "You can't let him bother you."

And she doesn't.

Hinata understands silence and introspection.

She understands loneliness and loss.

She understands fitting together the broken pieces that never quite align to make a whole.

She understands returning home and wondering if it was ever home in the first place.

Hinata wishes there was a way to make him feel more comfortable, but the part of her that bent to the need to be liked or accepted by others died in the war.

Now, she stands on her own.

In many ways she is an island, watching as everyone else weaves their lives in their new patterns while she sits at the loom choosing her threads.

"Sorry that took so long," the storekeeper bustles out from the back, flushed. "There was a mixup – we were supposed to prepare another order first, and we did yours instead and he is so particular and…" she shuddered. "Let's just say that Uchiha-san was less than pleased."

Hinata understands instantly.

"I am headed that way," she offers gently. "Would you like me to take it by to him."

"Would you?" she asks, and her gratitude is almost comically hopeful.

"Of course," she nods and oddly enough it is Sasuke's voice she hears when she thinks "Perhaps you aren't as done with pleasing others as you thought, Hyūga Hinata."

The woman hurries to the back and brings her the parcel.

Hinata looks it over and tries not to smile.

Somehow, she is completely unsurprised that Sasuke is also a purist when it comes to tea – it seems like a very "Sasuke" thing to be.


	3. Irusu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one visits Uchiha Sasuke, until they do.. and he isn't happy.

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**  
**.**  
**.**  
**.**  
**3\. Irusu  
** _Pretending to be out when someone is knocking at your door._

* * *

There is no reason for Hyūga Hinata to be in his neighborhood.

That is his thought when he initially senses her chakra, but he immediately clears his mind and returns to his meditation.

When he senses her turning on to his street, he acknowledges it with a puzzled frown before forcing himself to focus.

When she turns up the path to his door, his eye begins to twitch.

When she arrives at his door, he is officially distracted.

"I'm not home," he mutters to himself, and resolves not to open the door.

The expected knock is polite, yet firm, and he ignores it.

And she knocks again.

And he ignores it again.

And she knocks again and tries the handle.

It is quiet for about a heartbeat before he hears:

"Sasuke? Are you alright?"

Cursing under his breath he stands and storms to the door, yanking it open in his irritation.

"What?" he snarls, glaring down at her (and it is quite a bit farther down than he realized.)

She meets his gaze calmly, and he mentally curses himself for not considering that a Byakugan user would check to see if he was home or simply refusing to answer the door.

"When you didn't answer, I worried you were unwell. Your chakra was very unsettled."

"Hence my trying to meditate," he snipes, crossing his arms. "And I thought you Hyūgas had some sort of code involving not spying on other villagers."

"I thought it might be because you didn't have your tea," she returns. "Here," she hands him a package. "With the shopkeeper's apologies, of course."

He reflexively accepts the box of tea, and probably even murmurs a word of thanks, because there is a minor sense of relief about her – or perhaps that is because she is leaving.

"Be well," she bows, and she leaves without waiting for him to respond.

He can't decide if he hates her more or less now, and that makes him even angrier than usual.

How dare she not engage?

How dare she not be at all disturbed by his wrath?

Buy the time he meets Naruto to spar, he is livid.

"Damn, Teme," Naruto dodges and yet another blow as they spar in the heat of the late afternoon. "What the hell happened to you? Someone must've really gotten under your skin for you to be in this shitty of a mood."

Sasuke thinks trying to put the chidori through his chest is a perfectly acceptable answer and is glad that the idiot is fast enough to dodge. He can't afford for the spar to end so soon.

Naruto's grin is sharp and feral.

"So that's how it's gonna be?"

Sasuke tsks at him.

"What do you think, Dobe?"

"Oh," Naruto's eyes begin to shift as the pressure of his chakra becomes something unbearable. 'I think that it's on."

And Sasuke' smile is smug and relieved because for the next few minutes if his mind wanders he will die – and that is enough to put Hinata blessedly out of his thoughts... for now.


	4. Philocalist

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**  
 **.**  
 **.**  
 **.**  
4\. Philocalist  
 _A lover of beauty; someone who finds and appreciates beauty in all things._

* * *

The Hyūga's gardens are some of the finest in the Land of Fire. Hinata has spent countless hours in them, and could always rely on them to restore her balance in trying times. She takes it upon herself to tend the hidden medicinal garden that her mother planted with one of the Naras; very few know where it is located, and no one comes but her.

It is her haven.

And it something she needs now that the war is done and Neji is gone. She knows the sorrow is not her own – his loss has touched her family and friends profoundly – but here, in the solitude of the garden, she can own it completely without worrying about also comforting or being strong for a family member or friend.

Here, she can break.

Here she can sob her apologies to Neji, who died to protect her and Naruto both. Here she can allow herself to wallow in the misery that she feels every time she sees Lee or Tenten, knowing her life was exchanged for the person dearest to them.

She knows they bear her no ill will, and sometimes she wishes they would.

And there is a darkness in her heart that has lingered in the wake of Neji's loss that she knows better than to feed, yet can't quite tuck away.

A sense of blame.

A sense of shame.

A sense that she should not be free to feel the sun on her skin and coax things to grow when Neji is cold and lifeless.

It is so much bigger than she is.

It will consume her if she lets it – but she can't let it, because that would cause those dearest to her more pain, and she refuses to be a burden again.

Instead she turns to hours of training and self-discipline.

She works tirelessly to heal her family and abolish the cursed seal.

She and her team and Team Ten join Kurenai in surrounding Mirai with love and affection and the assurances of family.

She takes comfort in small things – the perfect symmetry of a honeycomb, or the tenacity of the first snowdrops of spring. She finds little joys and little beauty and saves them up in a space that is open and wide and ugly.

She thought she could fill the space with something big – another love, another life.

But she cannot.

Not yet.

Just as Neji grew in her heart and that space was gradually formed, so must it be filled.

And she finds the perfect skipping rocks and sends them across a small pond and smiles.

Her heart is still broken,

But she is fixing the shatters, one at a time.


	5. Wasuremono

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**  
 **.**  
 **.**  
 **.**  
5\. Wasuremono  
 _Forgotten or lost things: an item left behind somewhere or forgotten at home._

* * *

When Sasuke left Konoha, he knew he was leaving behind everything he had ever known.

It took some time for the ramifications of those actions to really register; for him to realize exactly what "everything" meant.

At the time, he only had one goal – one purpose in life: to kill the man who had stolen everything from him, and broken his ability to trust.

But when his brother died, and he learned the truth, and the war ended, the weight of that "everything" took on a new meaning.

He returned to his family's home – to those secret rooms below, where plots had been hatched and discussed and argued – and ran his fingers over the carved text that had helped herald their destruction.

He thought about destroying it, but why bother? He was the last Sharingan user alive; no one could read it but him.

And he is still trying to find his place.

He is trying to find a home – but whether it is the one stolen from him by the massacre, or the one he left behind, or the one he had outgrown, he cannot say.

Uchiha Sasuke is lost, and he is not even sure he knows why.

He contemplates leaving the village for a few months – perhaps going on an extended assignment with Taka. He misses the clear objectives of missions, and the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing something and knowing it has been done well and to completion.

Unfortunately, Kakashi has other ideas.

"A new council?" Sasuke repeats flatly. "As in the same kind that decided it would be best if my entire clan was eliminated? I'll pass."

"That council has been disbanded," Kakashi folds his hands on his desk, but the steel under his crinkle-eyed smile snags his attention. "This is a new advisory board to the Hokage, and is comprised more of the new generation. I already know what the old guard has to say- and listening to them will be to rebuild Konoha as it was. I need to build Konoha as it will be."

"Is that part of your speech?"

"Tomorrow, Sasuke. I will see you here."

Sasuke knows better than to argue, only because he hates engaging in anything nonproductive. When he arrives the next day, he takes stock of the representatives. Shikamaru is not a surprise; he is quickly becoming integral to Konoha. Ino has proven to be outstanding at intelligence gathering, and is quite good at reading people. Sakura gives him a half a smile before turning back to her conversation with Shino of all people.

And then Sasuke remembers that the four noble clans are the Aburames, the Akimichi, the Uchiha, and –

"Hintata," Sakura looks up when the other woman walks in. "What are you doing here? I thought-"

"I arrived late last night," she is quick to assure them with a small smile, and Sasuke notices the pale purpling under her eyes.

"Hinata," Shino motions to a nearby chair. "Come. Tell us of your visit."

Hinata complies with Sakura in her wake. The three of them sit together, and speak in low voices. Shino's face tells nothing, Hinata's is placid if not weary, and Sakura's is intelligently concerned.

Sasuke recognizes when the medic puts a subtle hand to Hinata's back, and has no doubt that she is scanning their friend for injury. Sakura's frown is minute – she doesn't like something about Hinata's condition.

Sasuke finds he is irritated.

But he has little time to indulge in the emotion; Kakashi calls the meeting to order, and he takes his seat. He notices that Shino is next to him when the name card indicates Hinata should be.

"We switched for today," Shino says in a low voice. "She is weary from a mission, and I wanted her nearer to Sakura who could monitor her condition."

"She is injured?"

"She is perfectly capable of attending this meeting," Shino shrugs. "That is all you or I need to know."

"Hn," Sasuke gives a short sound of what might have been dismissal.

The rest of the meeting goes by in a blur and is not nearly as horrendous as he feared it would be. Kakashi is clever, and he has selected the members not just for their village positions, but for their potential.

Shino shuttles Hinata off after the meeting before Sasuke can question why she was so tired or why Shino felt she needed to be monitored.

He catches up with Sakura in the hall.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"With Hyūga."

"Oh," Sakura frowns slightly. "Just extended fatigue. She has been on a series of diplomatic missions lately. I was hoping she would be on this council but I hadn't heard if that decision had been made."

"Why wouldn't she be?" Sasuke arches an eyebrow.

"Hanabi is the heir now," Sakura shrugs. "But she is still young for these kinds of things. It took some convincing to appoint Hinata."

"That logic reeks of Hyūga," he snorts. "If she is competent to do diplomatic missions, why wouldn't she be competent to stay in Konoha and attend a local meeting?"

"I suspect there are some elders that don't want a new voice in the clan," Sakura gives a grunt that tells Sasuke she agrees with him. "I think Kakashi put her on this to avoid some of those diplomatic missions."

"She didn't care for the work?"

"Oh, no, she liked the diplomatic work just fine. It was the multiple attempts at brokering a marriage with her or her sister that were taxing."

"Marriage," Sasuke's eyebrows shoot into his hairline. "And Hiashi didn't have them flogged for insolence?"

"I bet he wanted to," Sakura laughs. "But no. Unfortunately it comes with the territory. Hinata is excellent at politely deferring the conversation while making others feel like they have made headway."

Sasuke frowns.

"Will her father make her leave the village?"

"It is possible," she sighs, "but if she does it won't be because her father made her - it will be because it somehow protects Hanabi or helps Konoha."

Sasuke watches her carefully as he speaks his next words.

"I thought everything she loved was in Konoha."

"It was," Sakura blows out a sigh. "War has a way of changing things."

Sasuke thinks of their conversation the whole way home.

Sakura told him about how Hinata had stepped in front of Naruto twice: once to be struck down by Pain, and once when Neji died.

"She loved Naruto," she'd said, her voice reverent and heavy. "I think she thought it cost Neji his life, and that she didn't deserve to be with Naruto. She drifted away from all of us after Neji died, and while she supports Naruto,..." she shrugged.

Sasuke doesn't need to be told the lengths a person could want to go for Naruto. He thinks Sakura is particularly sympathetic toward Hinata because had she not closed herself off, there was a good chance the Dobe would have come around. She would be good for someone like him.

Sakura tells him all of this without guile or ulterior motive. She has long moved past her feeling for him, and they have become closer friends over the years. She is one of the few people that know the truth about Itachi, which is why, he thinks, she tells him about Neji.

The more Sasuke learns about Neji and his relationship with Hinata, the more it reminds him of Itachi. It is not an identical case, but there are parallels, and he sees in her desperation to achieve and protect that same hunger that had gnawed at him as a child. The ache of making someone proud - of taking care of someone you love - he understands these things on a cellular level.

When he arrives home, a quiet, persistent thought drives him to hunt through the whole house until he finds the packed crate of salvaged items from the Uchiha district. The tea set inside was from one of the small restaurants, and it is even one he knew he had used; he had long ago memorized the pattern of metalic veins bonding pieces of the set together. Itachi had been the one to point it out to him, explaining how the ceramic had once been broken and rejoined.

"Second chances are important, Sasuke," he'd said so long ago when Sasuke did not understand the weight on his shoulders and etching into his skin. "It is less important that it has been broken, and more important that it is now whole."

Sasuke pauses in the middle of the room, holding the cup with the veins of gold as if seeing it for the first time.

"I had forgotten that," he says aloud.

He studies the cup in his hand, and can think of only one other person that might appreciate it the way he does.

He resolves to invite Hinata for tea.


	6. Jijivisha

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**  
**.**  
**.**  
**.**

 **6\. Jijivisha (जिजीविषा)  
** _The strong eternal desire to live and continue living._

* * *

"Y'know, I thought training at the ass-crack of dawn was a Team Gai thing, but maybe it's a Hyūga thing."

Hinata looks up, startled, to find Tenten on the bank of the stream. Her friend is eyeing her, arms crossed.

"I would've trained with you, you know."

"I know," she answers, crossing to shore. "I just-"

"Hate to be a bother?" Tenten interrupts. "How long have you been out here? Two hours? Three?"

Hinata shrugs.

Tenten shakes her head. "He wouldn't have wanted this for you, Hinata."

She can't help but bristle - What wouldn't Neji have wanted? Her to work hard? Her to push herself? Her to be dedicated enough to be awake before most of the village and training?"

"To be alone," Tenten clarifies.

Hinata straightens and tries:

"There are many benefits to solo training."

"This isn't about training; this is about you choosing to be alone," Tenten shifts the weight to one hip as her lips twist into that configuration that says she's caught a Hyūga trying to escape on a technicality. "And you are not happy, Hinata. I can feel it."

Hinata doesn't know what to say.

"Hyūgas," Tenten mutters. "Come with me."

She takes to the trees, and Hinata follows (because she knows Tenten well enough to know that if she doesn't she'll just keep after her until she does). They don't stop until they are high above the village, overlooking the nesting grounds for the aviary.

Hinata's breath catches as she senses her cousin's presence - it is subtle but real in this place.

Tenten stands in the curve of a massive tree, her fingers brushing against the bark as she gives Hinata time to adjust.

"You feel him, too?"

Hinata nods, and Tenten smile sadly at the wood carved under her fingers. "This was his favorite place to come and think." She pulls out a scrol; and unseals something to hand to Hinata. "Do you recognize this?"

She turns it over in her hands, her eyes widening. "Our grandmother had a set like this when we were children. But I broke the last bowl."

"You did," Tenten agrees. "Right before the chunin exams. And Neji was furious with you-"

"Because his mother had always liked the set and I'd ruined it," she finishes sadly. "But where did this come from?"

"The old woman that cared for the tea sets saw what happened, and instructed Neji to pick up the pieces and take them to a friend of hers. At the time he thought it was a punishment, and was angry she didn't send you instead. He was fuming by the time he got there."

She looks at the bowl wistfully. "The repairs weren't done until after he went on the mission to retrieve Sasuke. Fetching this was one of the first simple tasks he was allowed after that."

"Did you go with him?"

"Yeah," she smiles. "We were so close to losing him...and he was oddly fragile after everything. I didn't like having him out of my sight."

"You loved him even then, didn't you?"

"Probably," she admits. "Although I didn't know it then." She clears her throat and continues. "When we arrived to pick up the bowl, the man made Neji inspect it to ensure it had been mended to satisfaction. He mentioned he could tell the bowl had been broken accidentally, and Neji asked how."

"He said that items broken in anger smash and are far harder to fix, but that this," she touched the bowl reverently, "had survived being broken. He explained how it took time and great care to join the pieces back - and how even repaired, it would always be clear that the bowl had been broken. But the bowl was now more beautiful."

Tenten looked up to the sky and blinked rapidly. "He said he was glad to see Neji had returned less angry - that anger had a way of shattering things beyond repair. That really stuck with him, you know? He started to think maybe he could mend his relationships - with you, with us - and come out stronger. In the end, I think that is exactly what he did."

"It is beautiful," Hinata murmurs and hands it back to Tenten who seals it away.

Tenten takes Hinata's hands and and laces their fingers together. "I loved Neji," she admits, glancing first at their intertwined fingers then up at Hinata. "And he loved me. But you were precious to him Hinata. He felt that you - who knew how to speak without anger- would be the one to mend the clan."

"I don't want this," she admits, tears sliding down her face. "It should be Neji here, not me."

"He would say it wasn't his destiny," Tenten gives a watery smile. "He promised to stand by you and protect you with his life, and he did. He knew that the world would not change without Naruto, and the clan would not change without you. If you truly want to honor him, Hinata," she cups her cheek and thumbs away a tear. "Then allow yourself to heal, and grow stronger, and be happy. Make the pieces of your life into a more beautiful whole."

She doesn't know if it is because she knows how much Neji loved Tenten, or that she sees in her eyes the same hurt that greets her from the mirror, but Hinata finally drops to her knees and breaks.

But someone is there to catch her.

Tenten's arms are strong and sure as she guides her to sit against the tree, and hugs her fiercely. She doesn't tell her not to cry (she is crying as well) and she doesn't tell her to let it go. She simply stays with her (offering a few more half-joking-under-the-breath mutters about Hyūgas and being difficult, mostly directed at Neji) until she no longer has tears to cry. They sit together and Tenten keeps her close until she stops shaking with tears.

And then, inexplicably, her heart is lighter. Whether she feels Neji in this place, or in Tenten, or in their being together, she doesn't know, but he is  _there._  She lets out a grateful, shuddering breath, and breathes new life into her lungs.

"I am sorry," Hinata finally whispers, her body weary from a burden lifted.

"Don't be," Tenten presses a kiss to her forehead. "We spoke of this, you know. Neji knew he might not survive the war, and he asked us to watch over you."

"And what about you?" Hinata asks, looking up at her friend. "He once told me… he said…"

"He asked me to marry him," Tenten says simply. "Here, actually, and I said yes. But we both knew that choice wouldn't be ours to make until after the war. I can't bring him back, Hinata," she meets her eyes frankly. "I already lost my best friend. I can't face losing another. Let him live on in your happiness."

And the pulse under her skin surges, and Hinata hears her cousin's wisdom in friend's words.

"Never giving up is still my ninja way," she offers, and Tenten gives a small bark of laughter.

"Stronger than yesterday."

"Yes," Hinata agrees, tired enough that the laugh comes easily. "Thank you, Tenten," she sighs, and lets her wrap her into a strong hug. "You are a good friend...and sister"

Tenten's tear slides down her cheek unheeded as she holds Hinata tightly. "So are you. Glad to have you back."

That night, Hinata unseals the scroll Tenten gave her, and places the bowl where she can see it as soon as she wakes.

"I miss you so much," she confides to the ceramic as she runs a finger over the delicate joining. "But if you can heal after everything you endured... then so can I."

The next morning, she rises early, and meets Tenten to train.

And when Uchiha Sasuke sees her at the tea shop and invites her to his home to try a new blend, she accepts.


	7. Hanahaki

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**   
**.**   
**.**   
**.**

**7\. Hanahaki  
** _A fictional disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love._

* * *

His brother once told him about a ridiculous story he read, about a man who fell in love with a woman, and the love was not returned. The love grew in his chest as flowers until the man was choking on petals and the roots wound in his lungs.

He had been saved when the woman loved him back, and at the ripe old age of five, Sasuke declared the whole thing to be utterly idiotic.

Now, nearly sixteen years later, he is not so sure.

He first noticed the strange constriction in his chest that morning she brought the tea. It was just a twinge then, and he had been to the medic just the day before for a routine post-mission check-up, and received a clean bill of health.

The first time it takes his breath away is when she accepts his invitation to tea. She stills when she notices his tea set and politely comments on it. He is not one for idle chatter, but he surprises himself by relaying the history of the repaired set, and how it had meant something to him and Itachi.

He decides then he likes how she listens - how she digests what is said and responds thoughtfully instead of simply waiting her turn to direct the conversation. When he looks up, she is poised and still, but he senses there is a strong undercurrent below the placid water of her polite smile.

And without judgement or expectation, he says "Tell me."

And she does.

She tells him how she was also recently reunited with an object that had been dear to Neji , and briefly relays the story. Sasuke may or may not have had a long discussion with Naruto about the time he was gone, and asked about Neji (and therefore tangentially Hinata) so he knows about the anger Neji harbored for his cousin. He is completely unsurprised to learn that she holds nothing of her cousin's past against him, and hadn't even before he died.

It dawns on him that she is capable of a depth of forgiveness he hadn't even known was possible...and that gives him hope.

Something changes after that first time they share tea.

There is an understanding there - something about both being broken, and neither wanting the other to put them back together, but appreciating the company as each pieces and joins the fragments of their lives into something stronger and more whole.

They each have their missions and obligations, but they make time for cups of tea, or share amused glances when they are together in their group of much louder (except for Shino) friends.

And one day he has to admit how much he doesn't hate her.

The realization comes with a sort of resignation that smacks of anticipation

Every time he sees her, the pressure is there, and the constriction grows until there is something strange and aching in his chest.

There is hope in her wake, and she reminds him of Spring.

When she walks by, his senses fill with lavender and jasmine and sage, and he breathes her in. On days she has been in her gardens he can taste different perfumes - lilac and mint and lily and thyme.

And he remembers the lavender that his mother tended, or the night-blooming jasmine that grew near his window and filled his room on summer nights, or the lilac Itachi stopped to admire on their walk home from school.

Each encounter with Huyga Hinata coaxes memories out of hiding to sprout green in a mindscape he'd thought too long embittered to cultivate happiness.

And yet here he was, randomly remembering times when laughter was part of his life, and Itachi was everything and his Mother smiled.

Even his inner-five-year-old cynic begrudgingly admits that the old stories might not be as ridiculous as they seemed.

With lungs both desperate for air and full of spring, Uchiha Sasuke is falling in love.

And the stronger the feelings grow, the more certain he is they are unrequited – for how could anyone return what he is so reluctant to admit to himself?

More importantly, if he did speak to her about such things, it could ruin the balance they share, and that is not something he is willing to risk.

So, he suffers in silence, and wakes half-dreading he will find a scattering of petals on his pillow that escaped on the breath of sleep.


	8. Duyên

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**  
**.**  
**.**  
**.**  
8\. Duyên  
_A predestined affinity: the force that binds two people together as friends or lovers in the future._

* * *

The new council meets monthly unless Kakashi has need of them, and missions continue as usual. Hinata is assigned to an extended diplomatic mission eight months after the first meeting - this time to a village in the shadow of Oto. She is surprised to find that Sasuke has been assigned as well.

"Sasuke is very familiar with the area," Kakashi says in their briefing. "More importantly, he is familiar with the dangers lingering in the area, and he will be of an asset to you. Sasuke," he turns to his former student. "Your primary concern will be protecting Hinata. We have intelligence that indicates she may be a target. Hinata, you will conduct business as usual while Sasuke determines if there is any truth to these rumors. I am relying upon you to be able to defend yourself."

Hinata's heart swells with his vote of confidence, eclipsing her initial disappointment at being a protection assignment. When Kakashi goes on to explain he is less concerned that she is a target specifically, and more concerned that the larger target is her clan, her resolve is sealed.

His words are still clear in her mind when an perfectly mundane threat presents itself not an hour after Sasuke leaves to trail a much more serious one. The man is ultimately harmless - or at least no match for a shinobi - but his intentions are not. Sasuke returns right about the time that he has to be removed by the guards, his face purple with the effort of walking doubled over.

Sasuke eyes him as he is taken away.

"I trust he had a different idea of diplomacy than you did?"

"Quite," she agrees. "I suspect he will see it from my point by the time the tenketsu blocks wear off." Sasuke hums his approval while she crosses to the small table in her assigned quarters. "Join me for a cup of tea? The kettle is almost ready."

"Are you sure?" his face is serious, but his eyes snap with something light. "You don't seem to have good luck with guests today."

"Considering you've never invited me to use my Byakugan to peer under your clothing, I'd say we're off to a much better start."

"Hn," his lips twitch into amusement, as the kettle whistles. She motions to a seat, and he takes it.

She surreptitiously scans him with the Byakugan while she finishes preparing the tea. Pleased that he has not injured himself for her sake, she turns to bring the tea.

"You could just ask me, you know."

"Ask you what?"

"If I was injured."

The familiar flame surges up her neck and cheeks, but her expression does not change.

"I did not think you would tell me."

He does not answer, but the way he smirks into his teacup makes her feel as if she has scored a point somewhere.

"So," he leans back to consider her. "Our friend aside, any other proposals I should know about?"

"I did have several ask who the handsome guard was," she says innocently, "but once they heard your name, their interests shifted."

His grin is sharp.

"Cowards."

"The person you captured tonight might disagree."

"People," he corrects, "and should word get out about the gentleman that just left here, I suspect you would have fewer callers as well."

"That would be nice," she sighs dreamily, earning a deep, rumbling chuckle from him.

They fall into a comfortable rhythm of conversation and silence, and Hinata feels strangely at home in these borrowed quarters miles away from Konoha. Kakashi insisted that their rooms adjoin, and they have spent the last several nights enjoying each other's company over an evening cup of tea.

"We have another week of this," Sasuke indicates the room. "Should we see who incapacitates more suitors?"

"Two weeks," Hinata hands Sasuke a scroll apologetically. "Kakashi sent word just before my visitor arrived. And we might have to continue on to Yugakure."

"I'm not escorting you anywhere in Yugakure unless we are shutting down a spring for our use only," he scoffs. "That is a logistical nightmare."

"I agree," her cheeks flush brightly. "But don't worry - I won't be in the springs."

"You can go," he snorts, "just don't expect me to chase some naked peeping tom all over the village."

She laughs in spite of herself and Sasuke's lips twist into a half smile.

"I am serious," he warns.

"I know," she reaches to pour him more tea. The conversation dies away again, but not uncomfortably. Hinata likes their lulls of silence, and has learned to find comfort in them. It is a while before Sasuke glances up and checks the time.

"It is getting late."

"It is," she agrees, and reluctantly stands to clear away the things.

"One more?" he offers, putting a hand over hers when she would have taken her cup away.

"A-alright," she stammers, surprised by his request. He fills her cup and bids her to sit before filling his own. The look he gives his cup makes her think he wishes it were something stronger, but she supposes that is her imagination.

"I enjoy our time together," he finally offers. "I look forward to our evening cups of tea."

"As do I," she smiles, relieved that nothing is wrong.

"I will miss this," he admits, and he speaks so quietly, she thinks she has not really heard. "I will miss saying good night."

And suddenly she is reminded of the large empty home where she first saw him hiding before coming to the door annoyed to retrieve his tea.

She considers her cup before putting it down gently. "I usually have a cup in the evening," she offers, feeling strangely like she is balancing on a thin tree branch too many feet in the air. "I don't see why we couldn't still share a pot of tea more regularly."

When he looks at her, she feels flustered. "Then, at least," she hurries on, "You would get to say good night."

He holds her gaze a moment longer and there is something amused and hungry and protective and kind there.

"I look forward to it."

He stands noiselessly and puts the tray to the side before crossing to their shared door. She follows to help set the chakra locks.

He pauses inside his doorway, and there is a tension in his back she does not understand.

"Sasuke?"

He turns and looks down to her with a reassuring smile.

"Good night, Hinata," he reaches out and gently touches her forehead with two fingers. "Sleep well."

"Good night, Sasuke," she repeats as his hand drops to his side. "See you in the morning."

His eyes darken, and he looks like he might have something more to say, but settles for a gruff "In the morning."

They close the door between them, each activating the chakra lock from their respective side. Her fingers linger on the door as she traces the pattern of their blended chakra. There is something about his chakra that melds uniquely with hers, and it is tantalizing at the edge of her fingers.

She wonders what it would be like to brush her fingers along his skin, to read the pattern of chakra there like a map and-

"What is wrong with me," she hisses, snatching her hand away from the door. The image of Sasuke standing in her doorway looking more than reluctant to leave suddenly fills her mind's eye and she presses the heels of her hands into her eyes.

"Nonsense," she tells herself. "He is simply glad of company - don't make it something it isn't."

She squares her shoulders and takes herself to bed - but there is no controlling the subconscious. And in her dreams, it is not Sasuke's 'Good night,' that echoes in her ears; it is his 'Good morning' mumbled against the nape of her neck, or their shared pillow, or her lips that sends her pulse racing.

She snaps awake flustered and early even by her standards. She gets up and immediately sets off to train, determined not to see Sasuke until the first words he can say to her are "Good afternoon."


	9. Kairos

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**  
**.**  
**.**  
**.**  
9\. Kairos  
_The fleeting rightness of time and place that creates opportune atmosphere for actions, words or movement; the moment when everything just falls perfectly into place_  
_  
_

* * *

Sasuke wakes from an unusually calm sleep in an equally unusual mood. He is normally fast to wake, and does not linger in bed. This morning, however, he is slower to wake, and is well rested. After tearing himself away from Hinata the night before, he would not have thought such a thing was possible. He'd stood on the other side of the door, resting his head against the wood and letting the whisper of her chakra steal over his senses.

He never imagined it could be so difficult to close a door.

But now a small smile steals over him - Hinata is willing to extend their time together. He thinks of evenings to come, drinking tea served in the mended tea set he once shared with Itachi, and his heart is warm with how right it feels to share this with Hinata.

His pleasant disposition gets a minor check when he realizes she has left her room to go train and did not alert him, but she is restored to his good graces when he is informed she did take one of Konoha's guards with her.

She has obligations on this mission, so it is lunch before they see one another.

There is a curious relief on her face when she says "Good afternoon, Sasuke."

"Hinata," he nods, taking his seat opposite of her. "I see you have already had a busy day."

"Yes," she laughs at herself, catching him off guard. "There was some silliness to deal with earlier this morning, but everything is fine now. And you?" she turns those large, all-seeing eyes to him. "How was your morning?"

He is tempted to say something that will cajole her into flushing that bright shade of pink he so admires. He considers " _It would have been better if you were there when I awoke,_ " but she will probably take it as a reprimand for training without him, and go pale rather than blush.

He settles for "Restful. What of today's agenda?"

She settles into the comfort of their routine, and whatever lingering discomfort had been in the curve of her shoulders and the line of her back sublimates into nothing. By the end of lunch, they are caught up on their respective agendas, and Sasuke finds himself in the novel position of both enjoying his mission, and looking forward to returning to Konoha.

For a moment, everything is in perfect balance, and poised in hope.

And then door to her suite bursts open.

Sasuke leaps to his feet, fire in his eyes and sword drawn, only to wish he had been the one to duck behind Hinata.

"Ah, there she is!" Madam Shijimi gushes, rushing forward and ignoring Sasuke to get to Hinata. "I just arrived, and when I heard that another resident of Konoha was here, I had to come by and visit! Now, my dear, tell me everything about your time here so far!

Hinata stares blankly for a moment as the other woman takes Sasuke's seat (he has sheathed his sword and is standing behind her and is failing at trying not to glare) and begins to motion to someone for a cup of tea. A young woman - undoubtedly one of the young girls assigned to wait on her (Sasuke is proud that Hinata dismissed such a luxury outright) snaps to attention and moves to pour the tea her mistress has not yet been invited to have.

"Ah," a familiar voice comes from the doorway. "Madam Shijimi - I see you found Lady Hyūga."

"I did," the older woman smiles, and Sasuke tries to ignore her heavy perfume. "Shame on you Genma for not telling me that she would be here."

"Must've slipped my mind," he deadpans, and Sasuke knows this wasn't his idea. "I did see that there is a reception shortly for the new minister of the Land of Tea. I hear that his new chef is the best there is."

"Really?" she looks up, curiosity piqued.

"I can take you," he offers his arm. "We should go soon if we want to get the lobster."

"Lobster?" she rockets to her feet. "Why didn't you say so? I shall leave you to your work," she says to Hinata with a syrupy sweetness and a competitive gleam in her eye. "I'd hate to take you away from it."

"Thank you,"Hinata bows her head politely. "Please make my regrets for me - I am unable to eat shellfish, and cannot attend a function where one is present."

"Oh, what a shame!" she says even as her eyes light at the prospect of one less person vying for the delicacy. "I shall see you tomorrow then - after breakfast!" and she sashays out of the room on the arm of another security guard that Genma deftly shoved her way.

He waits until she disappears before offering. "You are going to want to take Kakashi up on that second assignment, trust me. Don't tell her where it is, or she will book an adjoining room."

Sasuke thinks Genma is kidding, but he absolutely isn't.

Madam Shijimi monopolizes Hinata's time in the worst way possible. She is there at every turn, and never stops talking. Sasuke begins to think he might assassinate her just to have quiet. By the third day, he rounds on the person that dares to tap him on the shoulder.

"Ah," Tenten smirks. "I know that look. That is the 'she really never shuts up,' look. Go on," she jerks a thumb over her shoulder. "Genma sent me to give you some relief and follow up some leads where you are allowed to pummel someone."

Sasuke has never been as grateful as he is in that moment. He presses a hand to her shoulder, and leaves (and later she will tease him that was the moment they became best friends, although he rarely allows more than 'favored conspirator.')

Their nightly tea is in blessed silence, and Hinata looks more and more weary each evening. When they finally arrive in Yugakure to find they are the only guests at a small, exclusive establishment (arranged by Genma and billed to the Fire Daimyo) Hinata looks like she might cry in relief at the sight of a private hot spring.

That night, after a day of excellent and attentive service, they meet for a private dinner in their adjoining quarters. It is the first time in two weeks he has seen her without that pinch at the corner of her eyes that means she has worn her polite mask thin. Her face is open to him - honest and void of any attempt at pretense.

They were so inundated with noise for so long, they've engaged in minimum conversation since leaving the overbearing Madam Shijimi. They are sitting with a cup of tea when Hinata absently mutters "I think I understand why Tora used to run away."

There is a beat of silence where she blinks and seems to realize what she said. She looks up at Sasuke in horror, eyes wide, mouth open, "I mean…"

"I was thinking the same thing."

Her lips tip into something sheepish. "Really?"

"The whole damn time," he snorts. "If I'd known then what I know now, I would have relocated him to somewhere safe."

Her laugh is unexpected and silvery and light - and it is that giddy kind of laugh on the edge of retreating fatigue that once started, can't be stopped.

"What?" he asks, but there is no edge in his tone - there is infact the hint of amusement. "I'm right."

"You are," she agrees, the tears beginning to stream down her face. "If our mission hadn't had an end date, I think I might have gone rogue."

"I would have been right behind you," he smirks. "Or in front of you if she tried to touch me one more time."

"Definitely," she agrees. "She was most put-out when Tenten started filling in for you."

"She was a good soldier. We might have had to invite her to defect."

"It's a shame Madam Shijimi so enjoyed that first soiree - I think we could have adapted well to a cover in the Land of Tea."

"Overrated," he waves the notion away. "But you did tell her you are allergic to shellfish - a lie, I checked - so we may have some luck with a coastal location."

"I never said I was allergic," she says primly. "I said I was unable to eat it, which at the time I was."

"Because of the company involved?"

She gives a polite shrug, (because, as always, she will not consciously say something unkind about another) and holds her composure for about three seconds before laughing again.

"Fine," Sasuke rolls his eyes and hides his smile. "Then where shall we go, Hyūga?"

"Anywhere," she dabs at her eyes with a handkerchief, "as long as it is with you."

It is a few more heartbeats before she realizes what she has said, and she stills like a deer, ready to bolt, but pausing to listen.

He watches her carefully his heart beating wildly, even as he prepares for the pain of hearing her retract her statement.

She meets his eyes, and he wonders if she can see the thrumming of his pulse or the ache of words he is not sure he can say.

A hint of a smile tugs at her lips, and she ventures. "So? Where will it be?"

The world holds its breath for half of a second where Sasuke makes absolutely sure he understands - until he has her permission - and when it exhales, she is in his arms and kissing him back as passionately as he has kissed her.

They have never been ones for words, but neither is at a loss for how to express what has been growing between them. The man reflected in her eyes is better than any one he dreamed of being when fireflies circled lazily in the hot summer air, and Itachi pointed out the constellations and planets and stars. The woman in his arms is braver and kinder and truer and stronger and gentler than he knew any person could be, and she fills his being with light.

When the first hint of dawn casts golden slivers onto the bare skin of their entwined limbs, he thinks of Itachi's tea set and Neji's bowl, and of the inevitability of a joining of two perfectly broken halves.

He decides Itachi was right.

It is less important that they have been broken, and more important that they are now whole.


	10. Kef

_SasuHina Revolution Week 2018: Words_

* * *

**Kintsugi**  
 **.**  
 **.**  
 **.**  
10\. Kef  
 _Drowsy, drifting contentment, or anything that produces this state of pleasure._

* * *

Konoha is renowned for her shinobi, and the Huyga are known far and wide for their eyes that can penetrate the unpenetrable. Yet, despite growing up surrounded by both, Hinata has managed to live a life concealed even from those who knew and loved her best. From her emotions to her clothing to her thoughts - she has spent a life hiding in plain sight, rising early to train, and spending her days working tirelessly to meet the highest of standards that always seemed to loom just out of reach.

Even when she surpassed them - there was always higher to go; farther to stretch- until she feared she may snap.

But there is no hiding from Uchiha Sasuke

His eyes see what others do not - and cut through defenses she doesn't remember raising.

And there is a curious freedom that comes with knowing she cannot hide from him.

She begins to blossom.

Her heart is lighter, and she learns she has it in her to be happy.

And even more wonderful, Sasuke blooms as well. While their reserved demeanor doesn't change to the outside world, there is nothing to stand between them. There are still places they have left to break; she learns of Itachi and his sacrifice, and he learns of how her heart closed after Neji's death, and how she learned to fall out of love.

They bond over their support of Naruto - and he gains two firm, strong supporters and friends (and he hugs Hinata tight and they mourn and celebrate Neji together) - and she feels nothing toward him but affection and pride.

The diplomatic missions take a different tone - Sasuke is almost always assigned to travel with her, but it is another year before they mention their relationship to only the people closest to them (and several months beyond that when they downplay it severely for her father, with an amended onset date that spares him unnecessary grief). Still, Hiashi goes to Kakashi to demand Sasuke not be partnered with Hinata, but Kakashi simply hands him some of their mission reports.

Hiashi pales as he reads them, and that is the day he learns there is no length to which Sasuke will not go to protect Hinata, and no length to which she will not go to protect him in turn.

Kakashi waits until the fourth report (when the paper in Hiashi's fingers trembles minutely) to fold his hands and ask: "Who would you recommend as Sasuke's replacement? I trust you have someone better able in mind?"

And Hiashi simply shakes his head "No."

In the end he settles for speaking to Sasuke directly and reminding him that he has been given something precious to safeguard, and that it would serve him well to remember it. Hinata blushes fiercely every time she thinks of the mission that followed the next day, and the promises he whispered against her skin and lips and jaw and thigh and how true to his word he proved to be.

He has ample opportunity to prove himself, as Hinata's presence is requested more, and more often.

"At this rate, I'm not sure we even qualify as residents of Konoha," he mutters as he secures and yet another borrowed room in and yet another town.

"Maybe not," she says lightly, her Byakugan flaring then fading as she checks the last of their privacy seals. "But once a son or daughter of Konoha –"

"Don't even bother finishing that," he scoffs – but there is no anger. "I spent too many years listening to idiots screaming 'Believe it' to be forced to endure platitudes better embroidered onto useless pillows by nosy old women."

"And to think I once thought you to be a man of few words."

"With Naruto always running at the mouth, how could I be anything else?"

Hinata doesn't bother replying; this is familiar ground in their conversations and requires no comment. Instead she pulls out the scroll she safeguards for both of them and unseals the tea things. Wordlessly, Sasuke takes the pot to heat the water while Hinata measures the leaves with practiced precision.

Tenten has been kind enough to make her several scrolls for her multiple missions, but this one she made with special care.

Hinata carefully places Neji's bowl by the bedside while Sasuke fills Itachi's teapot. They finish settling into the room while the tea steeps, and it is a well-rehearsed rhythm - a touchstone of consistency in their unpredictable lives.

They have learned to ground themselves in one another and in the comfort of well-prepared tea before taking on the chaos even the best planned and most methodical of missions can bring.

"Thunderstorms tonight," Sasuke says, taking his seat. "We won't be severely affected, but the rest of our route lies in the path of the storm."

She hands him a cup. "Do you think we will be delayed?"

"Possibly," he gives a careless one-shouldered shrug that tells her he is not in the least concerned.

"Strange that Kakashi wanted us to take this route," she muses, pouring her tea and watching him through downcast lashes. "He normally accounts for such things."

"Mm."

A small smile tips the corners of her mouth. "How long of a delay were you hoping for?"

"A month," he meets her eyes, unrepentant at being caught. "But I'll settle for a week."

"A week?" she blinks. "But the mission-"

"The mission timeline allows for it," he interrupts. "Nara will be arriving ahead of us – he can hold down any negotiations until we get there."

"I suppose," she says, carefully setting down the teapot to study his face. "Should we alert Shikamaru?"

"I sent word."

"And?"

"And some delays are troublesome but can't be helped."

Hinata can't help the small smile, and Sasuke lifts his cup to her. "His words, not mine."

"I suppose they can't," she takes her cup, a sense of giddiness forming in the periphery of her thoughts. She and Sasuke have been on continuous missions for quite some time, and while they have not been overtly dangerous or taxing as of late, they have been wearing on them both. "So," she raises her eyebrows. "A week?"

"Yes," he meets her eyes. "We are assured that long."

"Mm," she hums, sipping her tea. "I don't know that I remember the last time we both had a week with no mission."

"Over a year ago," he replies effortlessly. "Do you want to know exact the date and time?"

"No," she chuckles. "I believe you."

"Kakashi didn't," he mutters. "I had to pull the mission reports to show him."

"It is a busy time for the village," she shrugs (and Sasuke notes with a sense of smug satisfaction that the gesture is a version of his own). "Securing peace takes time."

The first, low rumbles of thunder echo outside of their window, and Hinata reflexively looks out.

"The storm is coming," she says, her Byakugan flaring to life. "It is moving fast, but you are right – the worst of it will miss us."

"Go on," he gathers the tea things. "Get ready."

She smiles and hurries to prepare. The bed is too far from the window for a proper view, so she unseals one of their bedrolls and borrows the heavy comforter and pillows, making them a nest to watch the storm.

Sasuke waits until she is comfortable before handing her a fresh cup of tea and settling beside her. She wraps the blanket around them both and burrows contentedly into his side.

Of all the things that frightened her as a child, storms did not. She took comfort in the power and chaos of them, and sometimes felt the storm could rage when she could not. It is one of her quirks that Sasuke appreciates and embraces.

The lightning begins flashing and she curls farther into his side – not out of fear, but out of appreciation for his presence.

"I hated storms as a boy," he admits to the quiet and the thunder and her. "They were something I felt I had to stand against, or else I'd be a coward; I didn't know how to let them pass through me." He looks down at her. "I couldn't accept and embrace them the way you did."

"I never thought I was strong enough to combat them," she looks up at him. "So, I didn't."

"You know when to bend," his eyes are so, so dark. "That is a strength."

"Maybe," she allows. "But so is learning to stand alone. You wouldn't know your own strength if you hadn't pushed so far."

"Maybe," one corner of his mouth twitches upward. "I suspect Kakashi would have appreciated me pushing a little less."

He nods to her empty cup and she shakes her head. He wordlessly places both of their cups to the side and lets Hinata snuggle against him, her head tucked under his chin.

She breathes him in, and listens to the thrum of his heart under her cheek, and the rumble of thunder and the patter of rain, and she grows drowsy and content.

It isn't long before the storm is well and truly upon them, and the thunderclaps and lightning strikes follow in rapid succession. She doesn't know why she looks up at him, but she does – and finds he is looking back at her. His eyes search hers for something, and she is patient enough to let him look until he finds it.

"Stay with me," he says, his voice low and bare. He brushes the backs of his knuckles against her cheek before skimming his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck, his thumb brushing her jaw.

"Promise me," and she hears the entreaty and the fear lingering under his tongue and the hope on the edge of his breath. "Promise you will stay. Stay and weather the storms."

And although she has made that promise in thousands of ways over their time together, she knows he needs to hear the words, so she does not hesitate.

"Always."

She could laugh at the incredulity and joy and relief and fear that slide across his eyes, almost too fast to see – but she doesn't. Because the marrow-soul-deep gratitude and love and admiration that remain are humbling and swell her heart.

She presses her lips to his and the thunder crashes and her heart is full and the lightning slices the sky. It is not long before he mutters something about "not wasting the first decent bed I've seen in months" and stands with her in his arms.

Uchiha Sasuke is a storm – not the ones of her youth, passively observed while whispering fears and insecurities into the winds to be blown away into oblivion. He is an intoxicating maelstrom of raw power and beauty and untamable electricity – and she drinks him in. His skin is warm and taut under fingers reading a familiar braille of sinew and scar and chakra, and she greedily seeks out his warmth. (And because she is always cold, he will make sure the comforter is returned to the bed, once their own shared storm has calmed to gentle rains and lazy zephyrs.) ((Even if she is never cold when in his embrace.))

She embraces his chaos and calm, and joins her cries with his, letting the wind scatter them to oblivion and shatter reality into something that hints at heaven.

When she drifts awake, it is to the tenuous first-light of morning glinting off the ring on her fourth finger while Sasuke holds her close, even in sleep. Her mind is ahead of her other senses, but it will not last: there is a quiet in the aftermath of a storm, and it seeps into her bones until they are heavy with contentment and the call of dreams.

As she drifts back into the sleep of one satisfied with the promise of waking to sunshine, Sasuke watches her through barely-opened eyes. There is always the fear she is a dream and she will sublimate in the morning light – but she remains warm and pliant and real under his touch.

He waits until he feels his own breath grow slow and steady to risk closing his eyes and losing her – because he trusts that he did not dream her vowing to stay.

Sasuke winds his hand in hers, (a small, secret smile on his lips when he feels the cool kiss of the ring he placed on her finger), decides to believe in second chances, trusts to sleep, and dares to dream.

And Hinata is there when he wakes –-

((- just as she is the next day

\- and the day after that

\- and the month after that

\- and ten years after that

\- and thirty more years after that

\- and every morning until they wake in the world of dreams and sit in the stars and smile fondly (he smirks) at the folly of mortals.

And even then, her hand finds his, because Huyga Hinata promised him "Always," and she never goes back on her word.

And he winds his fingers in hers, because he also promised, and Uchiha Sasuke is unfazed by things as inconsequential as death and eternity.))

-and Sasuke's heart is full.

* * *

**~*FIN*~**

* * *

_Thank you for joining me, friends! - GL_


End file.
